A New Start
by AnimatedBritney
Summary: Post TJM. Helga has graduated college and works as an editor. Her life is always depressing since Arnold has been out of the picture. When she goes back to her home town, she surprisingly sees old friends she has been dying to see.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold or any of it's characters, that belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

She pulled her sleeves down as the fall wind blew onto her thin frame. She could see the leaves skittering along the side walk, every once in a while she would step on one and hear the crinkling as she crushed the leave with her weight. Helga had traveled along this street for what seemed to have been the majority of her lifetime. Nothing looked the same to her now though, since the old Boarding House was unoccupied. In her younger years she would always see the animals run out of the building when he would leave out the front door. She stopped to stare at the old building with the red paint peeling off each month that went by. Exhaling once again her warm, moist breath blurred her vision of the constant nostalgia that hit her every time she crossed its path. Reluctantly, she closed her eyes, and turned to continue walking. She tightened her stripped scarf around her neck as the wind kept hitting her.

Her father was standing outside in the cold weather, sweeping the street in front of her old home. She shook her head at how much appearances mattered to Big Bob. He stopped sweeping when he saw her approaching, and waved halfheartedly with a small smile. Despite all the pain she had experienced as a child, she smiled at him and gave him a hug. He smelled of musk, and his shirt was stained with barbecue sauce. They walked up the steps to the house while Big Bob explained that Miriam was sick once again. After entering the home, Helga hung up her jacket on the coat rack. Shortly after, she was embraced by her older sister, Olga, claiming how much she had missed her since she visited last.

They walked into the old trophy room which was now a living room, filled with photographs of them as a happy family. Her family wasn't perfect though, and never really would be. Her eyes skimmed the walls for the hundredth time that year. She heard shuffling across the other side of the room, Miriam was entering the room with a small cup of coffee. Helga only hoped it wasn't Irish coffee. She sat on thee couch next to her husband.

"So Helga, how's Brooklyn?" Miriam, my mother asked. Sipping on whatever was inside that mug of hers. Helga eyed the cup that had a label on it which said, "Keep Calm."

"Oh you know, just keeping busy at the office, and coming home to my cat every night." Helga couldn't think of anything else going on, besides her being on a short vacation. She had taken a week off to visit her family.

"You still work at the office, Helga?" Olga looked concerned when she asked.

It's no secret the Olga has had _seemingly_ more talent than Helga has ever had. She's played in piano concerts since fifteen. Currently, she has scored an acting job in Broadway. You would think Helga would be seething with jealousy, but ever Helga graduated college, things have changed between the two sisters. Olga spoke up to her parents that they never showed the love for Helga as they had for her. Helga was thankful for Olga when it came to straightening out their family. Even though she is a little jealous, she chooses to look past it anyway. Helga refers to it as "keeping the peace."

"It's really not that bad, Olga." Helga said. "It pays the bills and I'm happy, that's all that matters."

Alright, Helga is starting to sound like her shrink now. Helga refused to tell her family about her depression issues. Her biggest regret in life was never telling Arnold what she had felt for him so long when he left with his parents to start traveling. It happened when she was in college, and when she came home she saw him leaving. She remembers that moment very precisely.

* * *

 _She was skipping along the street ready to see Arnold after a whole year. She had just completed her freshman year, and it was agonizing not seeing Arnold every day. She would've followed him to whatever college, but he chose to work in their hometown. He had became so close to his family, and Helga felt envious of the time they spent together. She was going to see him to confess that she realized she was wrong in seventh grade. Arnold chose to confess the he really began to love her after what happened in San Lorenzo. However, she just said that she was over him and that he should just forget that time, and move on. She was hoping Arnold would see past her rough explicit exterior, but he never did. She needed to make him realize that they belonged together. This was going to be the best day of her life, or so she thought. She had finally reached the boarding house only to see Arnold's parent carrying bags over their shoulders and placing it in the back of a trunk. The car looked like a big Jeep with things piled in the back. Helga blinked, wondering if he was leaving and she could slowly feel that her life was already entering into a dark abyss that she could not climb out watched as Arnold's dad, Miles, helped his wife, Stella, place a large box in the back of the jeep. Arnold ran out of the house and asked his parents a question._

 _"Should we take Abner?" he asked. Barely noticing Helga's presence as she kept her hands behind her back, looking on innocently._

 _His mom shook her head. "No, he's too old and would be too distressed if we try to move him, Arnold." She said with sympathy, she knew how attached her son had became to the pig._

 _Arnold sighed and acknowledged Helga for the first time. "Oh, hey Helga." He greeted her with a smile that almost broke her heart. He's been so happy since his parents had returned to him in fifth grade. He looked much more ecstatic now, like everything he ever dreamed of was coming true."Oh, it's great, Helga."He said. "We are going back to Central America, and after that who knows?"_

 _Helga was smiling at him, and though he didn't know it, she was sinking. She could feel her eyes become misty but she quickly wiped at her eyes with her fore arm. Arnold was going to do what he always wanted, to help people around the world, but that could mean she may never see him again. She watched as they continued to pack the jeep, because they were leaving from the airport that night. If only she came the night before instead of going to bed. She couldn't get Arnold alone when his parents were right there. They were all focused on their trip.  
_

 _She just smiled. "Have a great trip." She walked away, but that night she watched them drive away. At that time, she felt true sorrow and fear._

* * *

She always began crying by remembering that, and she shouldn't think of that _now._ She decided to distract herself, anything else to get her mind off of it. She looked down at the carpeted floor and eyed some snacks that Olga had left out on the table. She reached out and began nibbling on a pretzel. It felt her life was spinning out of control ever since she saw Arnold leave that night. Since he left, she decided to continue with college, and tried to become career focused. She found that she became dependent on distractions to stay off the subject of Arnold. When she graduated with her English degree, she found a job as an editor for a newspaper soon after. She had been working there for about six months now.

She smiled at Olga, and tried to get her family to stop being so engrossed with the words of how she described her life. "What new showing are you working on now, Olga?" she asked.

Olga became excited after I asked that question, and she began to ramble about showing the play based of _The Wizard of Oz,_ called _Wicked._ It was about the life of the Wicked Witch of the West, and her friendship with the Good Witch, Gelinda, and how it destroyed her life. Helga would've been somewhat interested, but her mind was somewhere else at the moment. She put a hand on her face, and politely excused herself to the bathroom. She actually went to the upstairs bathroom, so no one could hear her.

Bob and Miriam began ogling over Olga, once again. Helga just rolled my eyes, somethings would never change no matter how differently the living room was decorated. No matter how many smiles you put on a wall, it doesn't mean the family is prosperous.

In the bathroom, Helga put her hands against each side of the sink, and looked at her reflection in the mirror. She really changed so many things about her face. Helga has even plucked her uni brow to attract boyfriends since high school. She wears as little of makeup to appear "natural," which is kind of a hassle to do in the mornings. All this to try to find another guy than Arnold, but it's never worked, not really. She had one boyfriend in college named Jake, which was short lived... She sighed after she had got her senses more together.

She walked down the stairs to join her family. However Miriam was talking of her new happy lifestyle, which did not appeal to me. I was trying to convince myself for years that she was happy with myself, but she lied to myself every day. She couldn't hear her mom saying that, because Helga knew she was deceiving herself. Helga decided she needed a walk instead.

"I'm going to pick up some meat for tomorrow!" Helga said as she was leaving out the front door. Miriam shifted around in the couch to tell her she had gotten some meat the day before. But Helga was already gone.

* * *

Helga was walking at a fast pace, she would walk and grab meat from Green Meats at a later time. Currently she was walking in the City Park, counting her steps. She came to a bench along the way, and stopped and looked at it. She remembered that in fourth grade, she was partners with Arnold when they were pretend parents, but they lost their "baby," an egg. 'She smiled, because they found the egg under this very continue feeling this happy nostalgia, she sat herself on the bench.

However she knew that the nostalgia would lead to grief from missing Arnold. She closed her eyes. She could hear footsteps on the asphalt, but suddenly they stopped. She could feel a familiar presence and she opened her eyes when she heard the person gasp.

It was Phoebe. She was wearing a different blue sweater like she used to and a beige scarf around her neck. She still wore the cat eye glasses, only they had purple rims instead of blue. Helga smiled brightly and stood up and hugged the short girl. It was pretty amazing to see she looked almost the same since they had graduated college, which wasn't a long time ago, anyway. They were room mates in college, but had gone into different fields of work. They had not seen each other in a while.

They chatted for about an hour on that bench.

"Are you working as a neuroscientist yet?" Helga asked.

"Trying, I was accepted into graduate school. I will graduate in May."

Helga was so happy for her, she always knew Phoebe would make it big in life. She then brought up her and Gerald still being engaged, and they would marry in May, when she would graduate.

"Currently, I'm staying with my parents and he is at his parents, and you wouldn't believe who came for a visit."

Helga's eyes widened and her heart was beating rapidly. She knew who it was before she said the name. She was so excited and speechless. She stared at Helga, surprised she didn't say his name.

"Arnold." She said.

She smiled at her awestruck face, though. She knew what happened after all. If anyone knew her pain, she did. Something told Helga she had known her love sickness for Arnold since we were only three years old. She was her best friend in the world, but somehow she forgot that. She would've been Helga's therapist for all these hard months. She had the power to put her depression at ease. Why didn't Helga go to graduate school with her? How could she just let her walk out of her life?

"Do you want to go see him?" she asked.

Helga's life was seemingly taking a different turn than she thought. All she could do was nod.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm excited to write this because this has been on my mind for a while. I hope it hasn't been done quite like this before. I like my stories to be interesting. As always, please review!**

 **-AnimatedBritney**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. Hey Arnold! belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

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Helga and Olga were socializing that night by painting each others nails. Helga wanted her nails to have light pink color and Olga wanted to paint her nails a more vibrant pink. Currently, Olga was painting Helga's nails, and she was focused on each stroke she made with the nail brush. To strike up conversation, because it was only appropriate, she brought up Arnold to her only sister. Olga remembered him faintly, since she tutored him a couple times when she was the assistant teacher for Helga's fourth grade class. Olga described him as well mannered and nice, which was pretty on point enough for Helga.

Helga told her everything, except the shrines and how she met him in preschool. She didn't mention making the shrines, because she never told even Phoebe about that, and plus, it was extremely embarrassing. She didn't want to tell her how they met, because it would ultimately show the hostility she felt for her family. He was the first person to really notice her, and she didn't want to bring up the past mistakes of her family. Seemingly she had a very devoted "crush" on him, at least that is what Olga had called it. She looked at Helga that night differently than she ever had. For the first time, Helga was actually comfortable enough around her to share secrets. Olga didn't say it, but she felt very honored.

"So, basically, you have not seen this boyfriend in years, and you are going to see him tomorrow?" Olga had summed up enough information to ask the first question.

Arnold unfortunately was never Helga's "boyfriend," but Olga has it close enough. Helga nodded in approval.

"And I'm extremely nervous about seeing him again. I have no idea what to say...What if he has a new girl in his life, already?" Helga had began to stammer out all that she was feeling. This began a whole new sisterly relationship for both of them.

"Don't be nervous, Helga." Olga said as she smiled at her application of the second coat of pink polish on Helga's nails.

"Why are you so confident, Olga?" Helga asked. Although, she probably already knew the real answer; She had never failed at any of her pursuits. Helga began observing her nails, and blew on her right hand.

"Because no one ever sees the beauty in themselves, but others can see it." Olga said as she smiled. Helga blinked at her, for the first time in her life, her older sister seemed to be more wise than she once believed. "If he doesn't know how great you are, its his loss." She said as she placed her hands in front of Helga.

Helga shook herself out of her new awe for her sister, and grabbed the other pink polish. She began unscrewing the cap as she made the rare smile at Olga. "You know that's not really bad advice."

She began painting Olga's nails, and she finally strayed from the conversation of Arnold.

She hung around Olga until around midnight. To her surprise, she found that she could actually fall asleep that night. Talking with Olga didn't feel like an obligation anymore, she enjoyed the conversation for once. She didn't have the urge to worry about Arnold, whatever would happen will work out, somehow. She smiled and closed her eyes.

* * *

She looked at her phone again, to check the time. Even after last night, she could still feel anxiety about seeing Arnold. Phoebe was going to join her to meet him and they said they would meet around noon. After looking at her phone, she could see Phoebe walking towards her. She actually wore a blue dress with black leggings along with her leather jacket. Helga looked down at what she was wearing; skinny jeans and a pink sweatshirt with a red scarf. At the time, Helga thought it was a good choice of clothing, but after seeing what Phoebe was wearing to meet her fiance', she felt under dressed. Helga just gawked at Phoebe.

"Why are you trying to out do me?" Helga asked when Phoebe came closer.

"What? I'm not allowed to look good for my man?" Phoebe said almost jokingly. "Besides, Arnold's not going to pay attention to me, anyway." She gave me a look. "Plus, you don't look bad, anyway."

Helga wanted to believe her, she really did. All she could think of was how sweaty her palms felt, and Helga rubbed them on my jeans. Phoebe then continued walking towards Gerald's. Helga walked alongside her, praying this wouldn't be awkward. Phoebe never told Gerald that Helga was coming along. Helga found herself biting on her nails. She cursed at herself for ruining the nail polish Olga had applied. Before she knew it, they were standing outside Gerald's house.

"Phoebe," Helga said, grabbing Phoebe's arm. "I don't know if I can do this."

Phoebe nearly rolled her eyes at me. "Come on, you're adult and you can do this." Phoebe grabbed my arm in turn and pulled me towards the door. She then knocked. Helga fidgeted in her nervousness. Gerald then opened the door and smiled at Phoebe. She reached up and gave him a hug and a small kiss. Gerald was astonished to see Helga there a the doorstep.

"Helga?" he looked towards Phoebe for an answer.

"Yeah, I thought she could meet _Arnold_." Phoebe said to him.

"Oh right." Gerald said awkwardly. "Arnold!" he called upstairs.

Helga's heart stopped when she saw him upstairs. She nearly freezes right in place when his green eyes meet hers. Arnold looked stunned when he saw her, but he smiled and actually hugged her. Helga stood as still as a stick until she somewhat embraced him. She held back that lovey-dovey sigh she would've made, and was a loss for words other than "Hey."

When Arnold released the embrace he held on Helga, there was a long silence. Phoebe continued to eye her best friend's actions. Arnold looked down at the floor, and Helga looked at Arnold with her mouth open. Gerald finally broke the silence.

"Uh- Let's talk in the living room." He walked toward the room, and Arnold followed. Phoebe guided Helga toward the other couch. Phoebe and Helga sat on the leather couch simultaneously. Phoebe looked at Helga with worry. Gerald noticed this and tried to start a conversation, because it seemed like he was the only one who could speak.

"Arnold, tell Helga about your travels." Gerald said eyeing his friend.

Arnold was still looking at Helga, while she gazed at the floor. "Oh-Um-I learned about culture all around the world."

There was a moment of silence, but Helga finally spoke.

"W-What kind of culture?" she asked.

Just then Phoebe set her eyes on her fiance', and signaled him to leave the room with her. They left the room together quietly. Helga wasn't sure if Phoebe wanted privacy with her fiance' or if she was doing her a favor.

Then the awkwardness fell into the air, again now that they had left. It was weird being in a room alone together after what seemed like forever.

Helga stared at her nails as Arnold scratched the back of his head. It was hard to find words for both of them. Then, Arnold looked down and thought about all the things he had done, and had small smile on his face.

"This may sound silly, Helga." Arnold said as he laughed at himself. "But I had thought back to my many trips, and I wished you were there to experience it with me."

That caught Helga's attention. Did that mean he missed her? She looked at him quizzically. "Why?' She asked.

"Because you were always there with me, and suddenly you weren't." He said, avoiding her gaze. "It didn't feel right, I don't know how else to explain it."

Helga thought back to her childhood adventures, and Arnold was in every one. He was a constant figure in all her memories. She searched for the words to describe what she was thinking. But she wouldn't speak her mind, just yet.

"Maybe you missed the feeling of home?" she guessed.

Arnold looked at her, then looked down to grimace. He hadn't been around her in so long, that he had forgotten that she always avoided the subject. He sighed, some things never changed. He looked at her long enough to study her, she was wearing the same colors she always wore and she was avoiding looking at him as well. He couldn't help wondering if she had the old pink bow somewhere in her possession.

"No, when I left that time, I wished I had been m-more..." Arnold was searching for the words, Helga was looking at him with those clear blue eyes. "I wish I had told you that it wasn't goodbye. I always knew I would see you again."

Helga smiled, feeling this could go very good. But wait, if he really still thought of her wouldn't he had searched for her or something? If he really cared, he would take some kind of action, surely. Didn't all men do that for someone they loved? She swallowed down her saliva to clear her throat.

"A-Arnold, you knew my feelings never changed. Why didn't you ask for me or anything?" Helga bucked up enough courage to ask. If he knew, it shouldn't have taken so long to reunite. Was he just waiting for her to just to show up at his door like always?

"I don't know why, Helga." Arnold confessed. Life had caught up with him, and he never found the moment to look for answers. It not like there wasn't a time he didn't think of her.

She stared at him intensely. Searching those bright green eyes for her answers, but he just had a blank look. He turned his head from looking in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel a little angry that he just completely dodged the question. Then the question she asked Olga popped back into her mind.

"Is there someone else?" Helga asked quietly, afraid she knew the answer. Who wouldn't fall completely for this man? He practically equaled perfection. He was smart, only sees the good in others, a hard worker, fearless, and not to mention his smile.

"Uh- not really... but once." Arnold twiddled his thumbs remembering the daughter of an archaeologist who he saw for about a year and a half, and she did send him emails and texts every now and again. She was currently living in Detroit, unmarried, and worked as an anthropologist. She fell in love learning about people, and she chose a career similar to that of her mother. He did come to care for her, Lisa, but she was not Helga. "...It didn't work out."

Helga was looking away from him, trying to guess if he still thought about this woman still or not. Considering how secretive he was being, Helga felt he was probably seeing someone on the side. Just about every man who had shown interest in her, was using her as a rebound. He has been known to fall for girls that just had a pretty face, and over all someone Helga wasn't. Like Little Miss Perfect, Lila, who had carried that name all the way to high school. She had seen Lila the last time she came back here, and she had not really changed.

What did Arnold think? That she would just crawl back to him? That their lives were like a romantic comedy, that they would just float back to him out of "destiny?" He wasn't the person she had imagined he would become. She felt like breaking down, but she remained calm. Helga stood up. She walked towards the sound of Phoebe and Gerald's voices.

Helga opened the kitchen door to find them embracing each other. They released each other, and Helga felt a pain in her chest. "I've got to go. Olga has sent me a text that she needs me at the house to help set up dinner." She had made up a lie quickly, so she could be alone.

Arnold had followed her and quirked an eye brow. She had never gotten a message. Why was she running out on him?

Helga's eyed were directed to the door, and Arnold felt her brush past him. She was moving in haste, but closed the door with a click. Obviously she didn't want to make a scene out of this, and Arnold was about to follow her, when Gerald asked a question.

"Man, what happened? And by the way, would you be the best man at our wedding?" Gerald asked.

"Yeah, sure." Arnold said. He then looked to Phoebe, maybe she knew something."Phoebe, do you know what's wrong with her?"

"She's a slow healer, Arnold." Phoebe said. "She will be back her soon, I'm sure."

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 **A/N: Can you tell I want Helga and Olga to have a more sisterly relationship? I hope I didn't rush this chapter, because I've done that before. I want to hear other fans ideas on this chapter. Like always, review!**

 **-AnimatedBritney**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. Hey Arnold! is owned by Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

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Helga quickly reviewed what had just happened the past hour. Arnold was there, he hugged her, claimed he missed her, and he has an off and on girlfriend. Everything seemed to be going great until the end. She huffed her swishing hair out of her face as she walked away from Gerald's. She wondered what to do next; She would be gone very soon, and he could be gone any day as well. Maybe she just needed to sort out her thoughts about this through being outside. She kind of wanted to talk to Olga, but her mind was boggled, and she didn't know her own thoughts yet. Luckily, that park was only two streets over, so once again, she would be in the park.

She had wished Arnold would have opened up to her more, but she couldn't have expected too much from him at the moment. She wondered where he was staying now, and how he spent his days. He could be happy, however his life was playing out. He probably was happy, with that one woman chasing after him. She wanted only a small part of that happiness. But with another girl in his life, which would mean she couldn't even have a place in his life. She sat on the same bench as she had the day before, but for no particular reason.

It started to rain. She didn't care even if she got sick. She just slide her jacket off her arms and placed it on the top of her head. If anyone saw her they would think she were crazy, but no one would be in the park when it was raining anyway. So, it didn't matter. She could cry, but all her tears felt like they had been dried up after she has spent so long grieving over missing Arnold. Why did it always tend to rain when she was sad? She looked to the sky. Letting the rain drops wash her skin felt good,

She would just continue missing him, and nothing would change. Thinking that actually caused a tear fall onto her cheek. Throughout her entire life, it has always been centered on Arnold. Love should only comfort you, but it was much more complicated than that. Was it hard to love someone like her? Now she knows it to be a real possibility that he wouldn't be beside her for the rest of her days. If this was her new reality she couldn't find a reason to live without him.

She only heard the rain fall down around her, and she could see the puddles forming rapidly. There was a sound in the distance of the rain hitting what she thought could've been an umbrella. She heard whoever it was coming closer to her with their boots being submerged into the forming puddles on the sidewalk. The person was right next to her, and she could not feel the cold wet rain against her skin anymore. Helga raised her head to look at the new comer.

It was Arnold. He held the umbrella under her head, and he smiled at her innocently. Helga looked at him with large eyes.

"Don't you know you will get sick sitting out in the rain like this?" he said.

Extreme nostalgia hit her from the time they had first met. She held back the tears of happiness, and smiled at him brightly. She wiped at her face with her left hand. She probably looked like a scary sight, but it didn't bother her. Arnold was like her sun or moon, without even knowing it, he held power over her. She would do anything for him if he asked it of her. His very existence was what made her wake up every morning. Despite he wasn't far from where she was, he had come to her. It shouldn't mean a lot, but it really did.

"I had a feeling you might be here." he said to her as he gave her a hand to stand. She reluctantly grabbed his hand, and rose to her feet. "I used to be in this park everyday, and I've missed it more than I had thought."

His hand was still on her and she could feel the comforting heat coming from his body. He guided her to walk with him, and she could feel her nose beginning to run, and she put her other hand to her nose, and inhaled sharply with a loud sniff. Arnold looked at her with a little concern.

"I told you so." he said. She sniffed again.

"How did you know I was out in the rain?" she asked.

"I could see the sadness in your eyes when you left." He said.

Helga envied how easy he could read other people. She wished she could read his mind like he had read hers. She looked down at her feet, and blinked. She questioned herself where he was leading her.

"Where are you taking me?" Helga asked.

"Well I haven't forgotten where you lived, Helga." he said. She probably needed to dry off at home, so she could get better. Helga stopped where she was. Arnold looked at her. Why didn't she want to go home?

"No!" Helga shouted. Arnold looked at her questioningly. "I mean let me just change clothes, and I'll be right back." This could be the perfect opportunity to really talk with him, and she didn't want to go mourn in her old bedroom, again. However, she should at least invite Arnold inside, it was raining outside.

"Here, come in." She said as she opened the door. She was putting her wet jacket on the coat rack. "Wait in the living room, while I'll go get changed."

Arnold watched her from behind as she ran up stairs. He didn't know why she acted like she was in such a hurry, it wasn't like he would leave. He walked in the living room, spotting her dad, Big Bob, looking at the TV Guide while his wife Miriam was snoozing on the couch. Bob looked towards him, and he automatically froze. He could not think of a worse situation, Bob probably thought he was an intruder or something. Big Bob blinked at him, and quirked an eyebrow.

Bob wouldn't have recognized him, if it weren't for the oblong head of his. Bob never really paid attention to Helga's friends, but this one really stood out in his memory. He appeared that time years ago, when that float he paid for went out of control, and he was the designer. Also that time when he was going to put his old business on that empty lot, where that old tree was. He was the kid who lived with his crazy grandparents. And if he remembered right, he somehow always appeared at of no where. He was taller now but still had the same tan on his skin.

"Uh- Aren't you one of Helga's friends?" he asked.

Arnold was amazed he had recognized him. Helga's parent never paid too much attention on Helga's private life. Although Helga grew up with her parents, she never really bonded with them. She always felt over shadowed by her big sister, Olga. This was all the things he had observed but he had never been on the inside of her house. He felt like he was truly out of place. He awkwardly head to walk to the foot of the couch where Helga's mother was dozed off.

"Yeah- I'm Arnold." He said.

* * *

After towel drying her hair and skin, she washed her face. Helga scrambled through her suit case for something else to put on. She had only brought a dress, seven shirts, and three pairs of pants. Today was Wednesday, and she was going back Friday. So, she had even less options. She looked at the dress, it was stripped pink and white and came just slightly above her knees. She grabbed some black leggings and decided to wear that.

She blow dried her tennis shoes, so she could wear them again. She refused to walk in the heels she brought, she couldn't stand them for that long.

She looked at herself in the mirror, after she applied some mascara again. She inhaled and exhaled to calm herself before she went downstairs to meet Arnold. She quietly walked downstairs, trying not to make too much noise. These boards had a tendency to creak when any weight was upon them. When she reached the floor, she peaked into the living room.

Bob was watching TV while Miriam was dozed off on the coach while Arnold was sitting below her feet, awkwardly. That was something she had never seen in her life. She never thought of Arnold ever being around her parents,considering she had some trouble just being in a room with them. She scratched her arm as she looked towards Arnold.

Arnold was staring at what she was wearing, and Helga felt like maybe the dress had gotten too tight. She felt her cheeks heat up as he was staring.

"Come on," Helga said sort of angry that he was just sitting there. She needed to work on her patience, but she never had it under control.

"Oh- r-right." He said as he stood up, ready to leave where ever they were headed.

Bob didn't even move his head from thee screen. "See ya." he said.

Arnold just nodded as he thought of what Helga had in store for them.

She put on her same coat she wore before. The flipped her long hair from outside of the coat. Her hair was still somewhat damp, but it didn't make much of a difference. Arnold felt a little mesmerized. She eyed him for a moment. He then looked down at the umbrella he had brought, and was preparing to open it as soon as they walked out. Helga opened the door and Arnold closed it for her. The rain was still coming down, but not like before. Helga walked down the steps ahead of Arnold, deciding what they should do.

She took a deep breath, and huffed. Turning around to face Arnold, she said; "So where do you live now?" she asked curiously. She wanted to know everything new in his life, but she did not want to rush him. Finding where he stayed was her first goal, in case, she would hop on a plane and bombard him with visits.

"That's the question, isn't it?" he said, jokingly. Helga wondered what he meant by that statement.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

He looked up at the sky mysteriously. "Where do you live, anyway?"

"Brooklyn." She said.

"That sounds nice."

"Yeah..."

"Do you like it there?" he asked. "What do you do?"

"I work as an ed-" She began, but cut herself off. "Wait- Don't turn the questions over to me. Answer mine, first."

"Alright." he said. "I never stay in one place, I move where ever I need to."

"Where ever you need to?" She asked, legitimately curious. "What does that mean?"

"I work for the Humane Society of America, and I make documentary films." He said.

"That sounds interesting..." She said. It sounded like he was constantly around people, and it sounded exciting. If he moved around like that, she would almost never get a chance to see him. She knew that he had always been a humanitarian, so it was only natural for him to work for the Humane Society. But what led him into he film industry?

"Why film?" She asked. She never thought he would go into that part of industry.

"Because I learned about it through one of my parent's friends." He said. "And She said I had a knack for it. I went to school for it a couple of years to learn the techniques."

He was getting hungry, and he smiled when he knew where they were. S _lausen's_ was just right across the street from where they were standing. He couldn't remember the last time he had any ice cream.

"Come on, let's get ice cream. My treat." He said while pulling her along with him. Helga couldn't help but smile at his forwardness.

* * *

 **A/N: This chapter took a bit of thought when writing it, but I like what I chose for Arnold's job. I have friends who work in film in college, and I even made films as an art major, and I could see him doing that. Please share your thought when you REVIEW!**

 **\- AnimatedBritney**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold. Hey Arnold belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

"So you're the producer?" Helga asked while she removed the maraschino cherry on top of her ice cream. They were too sweet for her taste. She licked her spoon as she continued listening about Arnold's stories about work. He was rambling on about the stories he's worked on. She watched as he was making motions with his hand as he talked. It was nice to know that he was actually happy with his job. Her job brought boredom as she eyed the same mistakes over and over again.

"Well, anyway-" Arnold was about to change the subject. " Where are you working in Brooklyn?"

"I'm an editor for the city's newspaper." Helga said.

"That sounds like you, alright." Arnold said, smiling. He remembered how she loved writing poetry.

"Hmm...It's okay." She wondered how he knew about her writings. Unless he found out she was the writer of that little pink book that he used to keep. She shook her head, surely not.

Arnold was eating an banana split, and Helga watched as he scooped another spoon full of thee vanilla ice cream in his mouth. Helga looked down at her malt, and sucked on the stray, before she brought up the next topic.

"So, tell me about this girl you were with, but you said it didn't work out?" Helga finally asked the question that has been rattling her brain all afternoon.

"Oh well...Her mom and my parents became good friends about four years ago." Arnold started explaining the mystery girl. "We met when we were in El Salvador, and her name is Lisa."

Helga was listening very thoroughly. She wanted to catch some clues, and she couldn't miss anything.

"We dated for a year and a half." He admitted it. "We broke up because we had different levels of...commitment...towards one another." Arnold avoided her eye contact then, he started playing with the whip cream on his ice cream. He never talked about it really, but he knew Helga really wanted to know why. He felt flustered, so he said something besides their relationship. "Anyway, she lives in Detroit now, and works as an anthropologist."

Different levels of commitment towards each other? That either meant the girl had stronger feelings, or he had stronger feelings for her. Helga wanted to ask who dumped whom, but she thought that was far too intrusive. She didn't want to look too desperate and run him off. She began to study the imaginary wood grains on the table. She squinted in thought, continuously drinking her malt.

"What about you? Ever had a boyfriend?" Arnold ask curiously. He was sure plenty of guys had enough interest in her. He only hoped no one had used her and tossed her away. She didn't deserve heart break.

"Well, never officially." She said while thinking of the different guys who had asked any thing of her. She almost always said ;'no' anyway. No one could compare to Arnold. Plus, she never bothered to look since her heart was set on one person. She looked at Arnold in the eye to see how he would react to this information. He looked a little happy for whatever reason.

"Usually its only my cat who keeps me company." Helga said. She had always leaned towards being an introvert.

"I see." Arnold said. He was relieved she wasn't seeing anyone, but she sounded lonely. Helga never kept a pet before, and if she was now, there was a reason for it. Arnold wanted to be with her; to be her friend, to comfort her, to talk to her every day. He gazed at her as she looked down and started to chew on her straw. She's had that bad habit for years when she felt anxiety. She tucked a stray hair behind her ear.

"How have you been?" Arnold asked, wanting to know how she would answer the question. Even though he could tell a little how her life has been. To his surprise, Helga smiled a little at him before she answered.

"Alright, but I've missed this place." She admitted. She chose to lie about being "alright," but it was better than to answer; "horrendous." It was nice to know that he cared enough to ask, though. Some things about his empathetic personality would never change. For once, she didn't pretend that it had always annoyed her. She and Arnold met eyes, looking in his green pools again was very nice, but she shifted her gaze to outside of the window. Just like back then, he still managed to make her feel embarrassed for almost no reason. She couldn't help smiling either way, after all she didn't feel such happiness in what she thought was eons.

"Yeah, I've actually just missed the stray cats that my Grandma used to bring home." He said while laughing. Helga loved his laugh more than anything in the world. She thought back to his crazy Grandma, who she wasn't wondered wasn't in a psych- ward. She remembered how the year after Arnold had left the boarding house, they were no where to be found in town. She couldn't help have wondered what happened to them.

"What happened to your grandparents after you left anyway?" She asked.

Arnold's smile had left his face instantly. He closed his eyes and said,"They had left the boarding house because Grandpa had gotten tired of the tenants, and went to go to retire." He swallowed before the other words could come out. He had wondered where Ernie, Mr. Hynn, Susie, and Mr. Kakoshka were living now, and how their lives turned out. "Anyway, now my Grandpa lives in a nursing home, and my Grandma died in a car crash." He closed his eyes again.

Helga didn't want to see him like this. How did they end up on this subject? She felt a deep sympathy for Arnold despite she never shared that sort of love for her own dad's parents had died a long time ago and the only grandparent who was left was he mother's mother. She too lived in a nursing home, and Helga barely knew her at all. She reached out and touched Arnold's hand out of sympathy, who quickly darted his eyes toward her hand and then back out the window.

"I'm sorry, Arnold." Helga didn't know what else to say.

"It's fine, really." He said as he tried to cheer himself up again.

"A-Anyway, what do you miss about this place?" He wanted to get back to the original subject.

Helga stared at him. She would naturally say it was because he was here, but now he didn't live in this town. She went through her memories of the place, and couldn't really think of anything but the love she found here. Through all the friends she had ever made, mainly Phoebe, her family who tried their best to always support her, and, mostly, Arnold. Since day one, he was the only one who saw through her blistering exterior into the person she really was. How could she put this into words? She squished her brow to find the right description.

"The a-atmosphere, I guess." She finally said.

Arnold looked confused at that answer. He thought about the sultry and polluted air of the town and couldn't understand what she could miss. He furrowed his brow and looked at her curiously.

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

"The-" Helga paused. She stared into his green eyes trying to find the right answer. "people."

She looked down again, disappointed with that answer. She knew he knew all along, and it wasn't fair at all. She was too easy to read, like notes of her mind's private thoughts and ideas were plastered on her forehead. She shook her head at aggravation at herself.

"It's because I had hoped you would be here." She said with a huff, like she was going to be shot down immediately after. However, to her pleasant surprise, Arnold smiled at her.

"What a coincidence that I am here when you show up." He said still smiling but turning his head to the front counter. Helga thought he was being full of himself now, and rolled her eyes. Then he lightly touched her hand, and her attitude morphed automatically.

"Perhaps, we were destined to meet back here." Arnold said while gazing into her almost watery looking blue eyes.

She actually pinched herself under the table to make sure she wasn't dreaming. His emerald eyes were looking at her intently, not blinking. She took this as a sign that he was being truthful. She felt lightheaded and happy enough to burst out crying, but she felt unsure of how to react. She didn't know why she felt like this, but she remained mute.

"Listen, Helga, but the reason why those years ago when I left Lisa was because I thought of you, frequently." Arnold said to her, his eyes unmoving. "You're the only girl I've felt this way for..." He said slowly. He was actually nervous around her, and she had''t seen that in almost a decade.

Arnold had thought about her nearly everyday. He always thought of what she was doing, where she lived, how her life was, and who she could be seeing. Even in his younger years, he always went out of his way to help her or give her advice. He never realized he was doing that because he truly cared about her. To him, she wasn't just a classmate, she was Helga G. Pataki. Even though when he was younger he didn't recognize those feelings as love, he did now. He's been fighting with himself for years about his thoughts on her, but it always came to the same conclusion.

The next words struck her in the heart so intensely; "And I've loved you for a long time."

She believed him, she really did. She took her hand from his grasp slowly, putting it back under the table. Because of the treatment she's had with guys in the past years her gut was telling her not to take his words to heart, like she wanted to do. Her gut was telling her that she was being another rebound for Arnold. He knew how much she devoted herself to him, and she wouldn't tell him 'no.' He was a man, after all. It was possible he fell for the ex-girlfriend, and when he couldn't have her... He would turn to Helga, thinking that she would do anything for him. Her gut rarely spoke to her, but for some reason, it was now. Her psychologist often told her that she had "followed her heart" too much. The first tear began to roll down her cheek, and she still tried to hide her sobs from his ears. She turned her head towards the door, and slowly pulled herself out of the booth. She bowed her head.

"I'm sorry, Arnold." Helga said this with tears running down her face, but not making a sound. "I really am."

Arnold watched her slowly walk out of the door of the ice cream parlor. He couldn't believe what he saw; it didn't make any sense. For an hour, he just replayed all that had happened between them. Nothing seemed like it was wrong. So why did she leave the say she did? He believed that everything happened for a reason, but he didn't see the reason behind her behavior. With any other woman, he would've just shrugged it off, but he really knew Helga. Even if it didn't add up in his mind, she had left for a reason. He looked at his reflection in the glass window of the restaurant,wondering if he had changed too much since she last saw him. He hung his head in defeat, and left out of _Slausen's._

* * *

Helga's face was tear strained when she closed the door to her old home. Olga was putting new yellow daisies in a vase in the hallway, and she spotted Helga's red, puffy eyes in an instant. She wondered what had happened between her and her beloved, Arnold.

"Oh baby sister, can I do anything for you?" She asked in concern, her hand was out to touch Helga's shoulder. Girls usually wanted to talk about their love lives to other women, and Helga may need to talk about it.

"No, Olga." Helga said taking off her jacket and placing it on the coat rack, ever so gently. "I just need to be alone."

She walked upstairs to her bedroom briskly, hardly making a sound. Everything told Olga to chase her sister, but she knew Helga didn't want her to hover her. Plus, she seemed to be under control with her emotions. Upstairs, Helga calmly shut her door, and leaned back against the closed door.

She put her hands to her face. She had done it, again. He had declared his love for her, but she had run away. Did she just make her new biggest mistake? She looked towards her closet, and rose herself up from the ground. Sniffing, as she moved towards her old shrine. She twisted the knob, and wasn't surprised to see her last art piece of him on the drawer inside of her closet. Years ago, she had super glued wads of paper from her trashcan to make a model of his head. Many yellow straws were stabbed into the top of the model, and she had drawn on the head his eyes, nose, and mouth. She remembered having had spent a good deal of time on it. She frowned.

She looked into the eyes she had drawn on the model if she would feel the love overwhelm her as it always had. She focused on the green marker of the iris of his eyes, but nothing happened. A shoe box was beside her fabulous art piece and she picked it out with a lazy hand. On the inside, she found her old pink bow on top, and she smiled lightly at the simple nostalgia. Underneath it were small books filled with the poetry she wrote. She opened up a book's page, and read;

 _My other half is near_

 _Can I whisper the words_

 _Those orbs are clear_

 _My speech is slurred._

Helga blinked, not as impressed with her skills as a self proclaimed poet. Her life has been wrapped up in her love for Arnold for too long, and she was growing older by the day. She felt like she should look elsewhere for a new man she never thought would be right for her. She was so determined of being with Arnold that she never looked for a different love. She closed the journal full of poem of her long time muse, trying to enter into this new frame of mind. She would manage her life without Arnold.

* * *

 **A/N: Talk about a huge range of emotions! As a girl, I know the feeling all too well...I know its been done over and over of Helga dropping her love for Arnold. I've played with that idea a lot with my comics of this couple. Let me know your thoughts** **Hey Arnold! lovers! My head was spinning when writing this, and you need to REVIEW.**

 **\- AnimmatedBritney**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, it belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

Helga closed the door of her closet shrine, forcing herself to move past reality. There was a moment in your life to let go of girlish crushes. She tried to convince herself to never search for Arnold again. However, he was EVERYTHING to her. Could she really do that? She was unsure of everything at the moment. What else was new? She sighed, as she walked out of her room down onto the stairs. It was very early in the morning, but she could not sleep.

She would raid the kitchen for anything, maybe a piece of chocolate. The house was quiet, but the kitchen light was still on. She peeked in the kitchen and it was her mother, who still was not asleep either. Helga waved at her halfheartedly, and Miriam slightly raised her hand to acknowledge her daughter. Miriam was drinking out of another mug that had hot "jasmine tea" in it, and she closed her eyes every time she sipped the warm liquid. No words went between them as Helga found some rice crackers in the far right cabinet behind her mom. She opened the plastic wrapper and the rice cracker was cracked down the middle. It didn't bother her though I she picked up the crumbs with her fingertips. She began to look at her mother, wondering how long she had been in here. She was wearing a long and thick purple robed wrapped around her more robust waistline.  
Helga wondered if her mother went through the same experiences in life as she had today, or rather yesterday.

Her eyes drifted to to clean linoleum floor as she thought of the question to ask her mother. She had nearly never had a legitimate conversation with her mother. Miriam eyed Helga looking at her as she put her large mug down to the counter. Just by looking at her daughter she could tell she wanted to talk to her. Helga was still wearing what she had worn yesterday, and her hair was more unkempt than usual. She didn't want to pry into her business but the situation called for it.

"Is there something that is on your mind, dear?" Miriam asked her daughter. Usually Helga never shared her thoughts with her, but she never gave up trying. Helga was her younger daughter, and she loved her more than Helga probably ever knew.

"Have you ever..." Helga was searching for the right words. "felt your life was taking off in a different direction than what you always dreamed of?"

"Does that shock you?" Miriam asked. All people experience that, and it always happens unexpectedly.

Helga stared at her mom's response for a minute. "Well- yeah." She said.

Miriam was nodding. She sipped her tea again. "However, don't turn your back on something you have always known, in your heart, to be true." She said.

Helga picked up the other rice cracker from the plastic wrapper. She pondered those words. It didn't seem like her mother was putting vodka in her mug, after all. It was nice to know that she had held herself back from what stopped her from being asleep all day. Hey mother yawned and began shuffling her feet towards her bedroom.

"Anyway, I'll see you when I wake up." Miriam said. She left her jasmine tea half full and Helga picked up the mug, and threw its contents into the sink.

"'Night." Helga said without thinking as her mother went to bed.

She threw her wrapper in the trash, and decided to go to bed herself. She dragged her feet upstairs, still unsure what she should do before she left town. Should she see Arnold again, and if she did what would she say?

* * *

The next morning, Helga rolled out of bed at eleven a.m. She checked her phone for the time, before she stretched in bed. She looked to the ceiling asking herself what should she do before she went back to Brooklyn. She couldn't even mutter a word to Arnold. She had to talk to someone, and Phoebe was the best option. She picked up her phone again, and texted Phoebe to meet up with her later. She rolled in bed for another minute before getting out of bed.

She groggily walked to the bathroom, but the door was closed. She knocked on it, expecting Olga to be primping like usual. Olga always took notice in her appearance, and had a new boyfriend every few months. Helga put her hand on her hip, waiting. Olga finally opened the door, she had curled her short hair, kissed Helga on the cheek, and ran downstairs.

"I'll see you tonight, Helga!" Olga shouted. "I have an audition for a shampoo commercial!" She squealed in delight. Helga couldn't care less, but she acted happy for her sister's fortune any way. She did a small wave with a smile as Olga shut the front door, obviously in a hurry.

Helga walked into the bathroom, and put some lotion on her hands. She rubbed in on her face to wake up, not to mention the mascara under her eyes. She rubbed lightly under her eyes with a tissue. She began brushing her teeth, like her usual routine. She watched her reflection as she brushed thoroughly. She spit into the sink. She grabbed a scrunchie and pulled up her oily hair into a bun on the top of her head. Now, she was ready to go downstairs for coffee.

She poured the already made coffee in the first clean mug she could find. She looked around, and no one was to be seen. She drank it with a little sugar, before she went back upstairs to put on some decent clothes.

* * *

She was waiting outside for Phoebe once again. She knew if anyone could help her, it was Phoebe. She dug out her phone from her pants pocket, and had to check the time for the fourth time. She had put her hair up in a bun today, and she touched the back of her head to see if it was still in place. She looked really messy today, she really hoped not to run into Arnold accidentally.

She saw Phoebe, and she ran up to join her. It was so relieving to see her. Phoebe was a little shocked by her enthusiasm. She smiled, because that should mean the Helga was happy. She had remembered that Arnold had left Gerald's to go find Helga, yesterday, and they were together for quite a while. Phoebe expected it went well.

"So how did it go with seeing Arnold yesterday?" Phoebe asked, expecting Helga's tears of happiness.

Gerald had never texted her about Arnold's state when he came back last night, so Phoebe just assumed.

* * *

The night before when Arnold showed up at Gerald's, he was mute. His hair was in his face, and his eyes had red rims around them. Gerald asked him how it went, but he never received an answer. By looking at Arnold's state, he left him alone leaning on the living room couch. Arnold put a hand to his forehead, and thought to himself.

Nothing happened the way he had expected. Helga and him were supposed to confess together, and everything would be right for them in the future. He had wanted to admit that for years. Through out their younger years it always felt like they were more than just childhood friends. Every once in a while, they even seemed like they even enjoyed each others company. He had allows felt a warmth that came from her when she would enter a room, and it took a while for him to make out what exactly it was. He tried suppressing these feelings, ignoring them, because Helga was never the person he envisioned himself with. Helga was hardhearted, unhappy, greedy, and mean. But somehow at the same time, she was generous, talented, beautiful, and nice.

She was a complicated person, but he always searched for the good. When he finally found her sweet side, he always was impressed and yearned to see more of it. That yearning he felt when he saw her, grew into his love for her. He had became just entranced with her, as she had with him. So why did it happen this way?

He looked her in the eye as he told her of his thoughts of her, so she could tell that he was saying the truth. He touched her hand, which meant that he wanted to be with her in that moment. Helga had gotten so many hints than besides the words he said. Arnold ruffled his hair. It didn't make any sense no matter how many times he went over it in his head.

* * *

Arnold rolled off the couch later at ten a.m in the morning. He hit his head on both the floor and coffee table with a loud thunk. He had terrible night asleep on that couch. Gerald saw him struggling waking up, and he asked the same thing again.

"Arnold, what happened with Helga yesterday?" Gerald really wanted to know this time, because Arnold was too shook up from the event. Usually, if Arnold didn't want to talk, he wouldn't ask anything.

"Not well." Arnold said plainly.

"I need to know more of what is bothering you, man." Gerald said while rolling his eyes.

"She shot me down." Arnold had admitted. "But I don't know why." He said while touching his forehead again.

"I don't know..." He said. "Helga's a weird chick, to be honest I don't know what Phoebe sees in her."

"You just don't know her like we do." He said this very seriously, almost with anger. Adjusting himself to sit on the couch. Gerald sat at the other end of the couch.

"Okay, sorry." Gerald said in his defense. He didn't expect fighting to happen between them this morning.

Arnold starred off into space again. He knew that Helga loved him back, because she had admitted that earlier that day. She had always trusted everything he said, but for some reason, she chose not to believe him this time.

* * *

"I think he has bad intentions though." Helga said as she shrugged her shoulders at Phoebe. Phoebe rolled her eyes at Helga, she would've thought Helga would over think a situation like this.

"This is Arnold we're talking about, I don't think he has done anything bad in his life." Phoebe said. "I'm sure he is being sincere when he said that to you."

"Everything told me not to believe him at the time." Helga said. "I don't want to be his rebound."

Phoebe didn't expect him to use her, but she hasn't seen Arnold in years. It was a possibility, but she still felt like Helga was over thinking about Arnold. She remained quiet as Helga kept murmuring about tired of being used and trusting her gut feeling for the first time in her life. Phoebe was still listening as she looked at the water.

They were sitting on a deck, overlooking the city's river. Phoebe couldn't help noticing the city populations' litter floating in the water. Just like those years ago when they would throw rocks into this same river. Helga would be ranting then as she had done then. She found a rock and threw it in the river, and watched it skip two times before falling in the water. Helga looked at her because she felt Phoebe wasn't listening to her anymore.

"Don't over analyze Arnold's actions," Phoebe said. "I'm sure he wouldn't hurt you."

Phoebe was raising herself from their previous sitting position on that deck. Helga rose up to stand as well, and followed Phoebe as she was walking to where ever she was headed.

"You should talk to Arnold, not me." Phoebe said as she sent that "look" to Helga.

"No, I couldn't see him again, I'm leaving tomorrow for Brooklyn." Helga said looking away from her friend.

"All the more reason." She said.

"It's not all that simple, Phoebe." She said. "Even if he was telling me the truth..." She wished. "We both have jobs to go back to, and with time, he will forget me..."

"Is that what you want though?" Phoebe asked while stopping in her tracks to put her hands on her hips, staring at Helga intensely.

* * *

 **A/N: This was a chapter with so many different sections, and it was harder to write. Please share your thoughts Hey Arnold fans, I always need help. REVIEW BEFORE YOU GO.**

 **-AnimatedBritney**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, it belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

Helga was at the airport that morning to catch a flight back to Brooklyn. She was waiting for her bags to be checked, so she could leave at nine. After her bag was checked, the woman at the front desk handed her her ticket. Helga smiled lightly at the cheerful service woman as she grabbed the ticket.

She walked over to wait in line. The line had maybe thirty or less people, and they were all chatting to the person they were traveling with. They were discussing what they would do together after the flight to New York. She held her ticket in her right hand, as she studied the floor. More than ever, she realized how lonely she felt. She dreaded the flight, and planned to just put her ear buds in her ears. She often did that just to fall asleep.

She would've left with her sister, Olga, but she was able to stay at their parents for a longer time. Olga was lucky, if only she could've stayed longer. She thought what the next weeks living in Brooklyn would be like. Would she meet someone? _Yes_ , she told herself she would. If anything could make her forget Arnold, it was a new man...Maybe.

* * *

Helga was printing the document that one of her co-workers, Madge, had emailed her. It was a new article for the _Macy's_ parade early this morning, and Helga had been editing out for the past hour the simple little corrections. It seemed that everyone who wrote the articles paid no attention to grammar or punctuation. She tapped her fingers on the desk waiting for the printer to print on the new edited article. She just had gotten a new printer last week, and hopefully this one wouldn't screw up on her too fast. When they finished printing, she walked out of her office and sent them to her boss, Mr. Farley.

Mr. Farley allows read the articles before they were published. He was an efficient man about his work, but always seemed to have a stick in his pants. She presented the article in front of him as he was getting off the phone. It was a woman, which meant it was his wife as she nagged at him to take his new blood pressure medicine from their doctor.

" _Macy's_ parade this year by Madge." Helga announced to him in monotone as he reached for the article.

His eyes scanned the two sheets of the article. He nodded slowly which means it was good enough. He told Helga to put it in the box to be shipped to the publisher. Helga dropped the sheets in the box, and started walking back to her swished though the hallway, trying not to bump into any of her co-workers. She preferred to be anonymous in her work environment.

Her new secretary, an older woman named Betty, held a vase of pink roses, which she was smelling. When she saw Helga, she fumbled with the flowers a bit, afraid Helga may get mad at her. Betty handed Helga the vase and told her they had just arrived from an errand immediately looked for the small card that usually came with the flowers. She found the card as she put the vase of pretty flowers on her desk. The card said " _Have a good day!"_ and on the back it was signed with an _"A"._ She slowly stood back up from her desk to see if she could spot him. She only saw her usual co-workers scrambling around.

She slid back in her leather chair as she starred at that little _A_ wondering if he had sent the flowers. Her secretary, Betty, was looking at her through the glass of her office doors. Helge eyed her looking at her starring at that card curiously, and Betty quickly darted her eyes back to her computer screen. Helga had never received flowers at her workplace, and people may be curious if she was dating some one. She smiled that if it was Arnold, he made a really sweet gesture. He would know that her favorite color has always been pink.

She checked her email if there were more articles for her to edit. There were two from Darrel, both about the area's famous college. She read both articles and rewrote them in two hours. It was four o' clock and she sent them to Mr. Farley. Then she went back to her office, she wrapped a red scarf around her neck and put back on her white jacket. She walked briskly to the exit, ready to text Phoebe about this rare occurrence.

She took her phone out and sent Phoebe a picture of the flower someone had sent her. She walked along the crosswalk, smiling, when suddenly, someone stood in her way. She raised her eyes up at the person who was standing there, and was amazed that it was indeed; Arnold.

"Arnold." She said breathlessly with her mouth hanging open. "Why are you-?"

She was still in shock of him just randomly appearing in front of her. She could feel her flesh heat up from the sight of him. How should she react to seeing him after the last meeting? She didn't mean to, but she was positively giddy. He was wearing a simple shirt and jeans along with a green coat, but she couldn't help but think he was handsome. He smiled at her, and she could melt.

"Did you like the flowers?" He said, as if she already knew why he just showed up so spontaneously.

"Of course..." She said without question. "But why are you here?"

Arnold's face fell when she said that. She may not even want him here, but he had to know why.

"First, I need to ask why you said that at _Slausens_." He said.

Helga looked down a little, not wanting to admit that she had the bad vibes from him in that moment. She often said or did things out of impulse all of her life. She was back stabbed by her boy friend, Jake, in college. Jake reminded her of Arnold as he did volunteer work and was nice to everyone. They had been together for about two years, and she felt like she could go without Arnold, after all. She had caught him intimate with another girl at a party. When she had expected to meet up with him there, she had found him shirtless and unbuttoning another girl's blouse as they were making out. She had lost concentration in her classes and her grades dropped. Every time she would see him, she would feel like crying. She experienced that for half a year. From then on she made a vow to herself; no guy would bring her pain again. Being hurt was something she avoided, but she never expected to avoid Arnold. She was scarred that it was too soon, that Arnold was no longer the person she idolized in her childhood.

She looked up at Arnold, unable to compare him to some jerk she dated in college. Arnold looked back at her and lead her to somewhere appropriate for them to talk. He had been waiting outside Helga's work place for quite a while. He lead her to a fountain that was right across the street from the building. He direction-ed her to sit on the edge of the fountain, and she sat down without a word. She tried to think of a way to explain why she acted the way she did, but noting seemed like a good enough reason. She put a hand to her head, diligently hunting for the right words to say. He sat down waiting for her answer patiently.

"I never told you..." Helga started. "But I did have a boy friend in college."

"Oh." Arnold said looking away for the moment.

"We were together about two years, and one night I found him cheating on me." Helga looked down again, ashamed that she ever fell for such a guy.

"Wow." Arnold said. "I don't know what to say, but I'm sorry." He felt sympathy for her, and could see her having trust issues now.

"I was afraid." She admitted. "That because of our history together that I was going to be hurt again. You've know that I've always had more than a sweet spot for you." She said while blushing a little. "For that moment, I thought you were just using me like Jake had."

Arnold touched her hand again, and cupped it with his other hand. "Helga, I would never do that to you." He said. Helga smiled as she touched her hand to his.

"I know that now, Arnold." She said. "I was just being naive, and acted too impulsively."

He smiled at her. "Well, I came back because I knew there must've been a reason." He said.

Helga thought their work would keep them separated, Then, a question popped in her mind. "So where are you going next for filming a documentary?" She asked with a slight sadness in her voice.

"They haven't contacted me yet." Arnold said, wondering why she would ask.

"Arnold," Helga began. "We're always going to be away from each other. Why did you bother coming back here to see me?"

"You already know why, Helga." Arnold said. "Besides, who says we have to to be separated?"

Helga squinted her eyes at him curiously. "Are you suggesting what I think you are?"

"Anything is possible." Arnold said. "But I'm not going to force you."

Helga turned to look at the inside of the fountain. If she were to quit her job as an editor, she would be so happy if she could work alongside Arnold. It would be whole lot better than dealing with the people in this huge city. The idea of it sounded so good to her, like a dream.

"We'll see what happens." Helga said as she smiled at him.

"For now, why don't you join me as I go feed my cat." Helga said while standing up from the fountain.

"Alright." Arnold said as he followed her to her apartment.

* * *

Arnold was a little surprised that they had gone through a convenience store owned by a Chinese to get to her apartment. They climbed a staircase briskly. The first thing Arnold saw was the kitchen area which was clean. He wondered if she was skipping meals or if she ordered take out all black cat came out from underneath her small table. It was meowing at her, well aware that it was about to be feed. Helga opened a cupboard and pulled out a can of wet food for the cat. She bent down and picked up the feeding dish.

"Arnold, this is my cat Luna." Helga said as she spooned out the food onto the dish. The cat, Luna was totally focused on Helga with the food.

"Umm..." Arnold wasn't used to talking to cats. "Hi."

Helga placed the food dish where Luna was standing. After she had done that she slid her jacket off her arms and threw it in what Arnold assumed was a coat closet. Helga's hair was tied back in a low ponytail, but a few strands had fallen down on her face. She brushed the hairs away with a free hand. She took down her ponytail to start it over. Her hands caressed her cranium as she brushed the hairs into place, holding the band in her teeth. Even though it was an act many women did everyday, Arnold felt a little mesmerized. As she tied the ponytail, she noticed Arnold take a few steps toward her. She felt his hand touch the back of her head, and she held her breath as her lids began to close. Her hands reached up towards his chest and she let her arms hang from his shoulders. His body felt warm, and his mouth entranced her. When his lips touched hers, she could feel a burning longing to deepen the kiss.

She leaned him toward her, as she bit his bottom lip playfully. She could feel his callused hands around her waist, and she welcomed it. Arnold started to move backwards and Helga moved along with him. She couldn't help but giggle a little as they were kissing. She felt Arnold smile at her attitude. She felt a chill when she felt his rougher hands go up her shirt. She gasped from his kiss, but did not refuse him. She began to pull him toward her bedroom.

She fell backwards on the bed. Arnold turned over on his side because he thought he shouldn't be on top of her, yet. They left the door to the room wide open, but they did not care. They continued kissing when Helga felt her shirt being pulled on. She stopped kissing him to help him pull it off her torso. She smiled and kissed him again fervently. She let her hands roam around him too, and she started to try to pull off his shirt as began to moan a little from the sensuousness of his skin on hers. Everything was telling Arnold to continue kissing her, but he pulled away to look at her in the face.

"Are you sure about this?" Arnold asked.

Helga only nodded as her fingers tried to slide off his shirt. He helped her get his shirt off as he continued doing what he was doing. He picked up her body and slid her up the bed. While still kissing, Helga felt his fingertips lightly trace her abdomen. She adjusted herself and unzipped her pencil skirt, took it off and threw it on the floor. The pheromones in the room were coming off scale, and she only followed her instincts. Arnold hands roamed to her backside and tried working to unhook her bra. After about ten times, he managed to accomplish his goal. She laughed a little at his small struggle. She was currently unfastening his belt. Arnold helped her take off his jeans. His hands were cupping her breast as they're kissing became more and more ferocious.

They stopped for a moment and starred at each other. Arnold's emerald eyes searched hers for what seemed to be an hour. Her blue eyes just absently stayed focused on his. Helga could feel his hair tickling her face. She brushed the stray hairs away with her left hand. Her face turned serious.

"I really do love you, Arnold." She said.

Arnold smiled and kissed her again. "I love you more than I could ever say."

He kissed her on her neck, and Helga giggled again. Within a few seconds they were both in the nude. It startled Helga how their activities had passed so quickly. It was amazing for both of them. She couldn't have imagined the day ending on a happier note.

* * *

 **A/N: This took me quite a while to write. I've never written so much smut, but I'm married now so I can handle it. Share your thoughts Hey Arnold! lovers! REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW. REVIEW.**

 **-AnimatedBritney**


	7. Epilouge

**Disclaimer: I do not own Hey Arnold, it belongs to Craig Bartlett and Nickelodeon.**

* * *

Helga stood smiling as she watched Arnold unload his filming equipment out of a van. She still felt tired from their long trip from yesterday, and Arnold should be worn out as well. He still wore the same clothes from the day before, and only brushed his teeth before leaving. That's what happens when you only get five hours of sleep. Helga thought he still looked great anyway.

She hadn't expected this much materials to make a documentary, and she wondered if he had an assistant or two. Soon after she thought about that, a man from another van came to help him unload. Arnold and his co-worker carried an unknown heavy case, a long microphone, and a stand.

Dawn was just breaking, and she still hadn't had a cup of coffee yet. She yawned as she walked around the filming area. There was a large family living in a small space. It was a shameful excuse for shelter, the ripped up leather hung above their heads. It tore her heart that she often complained about where she lived and these people had way less then she did. She smiled at the children, which was harder than she thought. The mother of the five children was the only one who didn't smile back at her. The mother's frown stood out to Helga. Those solid black eyes had experienced all of the pain of life, and for once, she felt the empathy that Arnold felt on a daily basis.

Helga had never been a mother and had a mother who constantly failed her, but she could understand what this woman felt. Nearly everyday she saw mothers that would bust their butts to help provide for their kids. Many moms would rather go hungry than to let their children starve. Bottom line is that women always put others needs above their own. Helga acted on impulse as she hurried to the van to check her purse. Through the abundance of the interior of the purse, she finally found a packet of peanut butter crackers of six crackers.

She walked back to the family of seven, and presented the mother with the packet of crackers. Helga wondered how long it had been when they last ate. The mother's hand slowly grasped the crackers, unsure a little. Helga noticed an open wound on her hand, which made Helga cringe. What she gave was so little, and she felt guilty for not doing more. Arnold spotted her from a distance, and smiled. This was always an eye opening experience for most, and he was glad Helga had the chance to see this for herself.

"Helga." Arnold called her over.

"Oh yeah," Helga forgot they were on set. She hurriedly ran away as the mother and her kids snacked on crackers before the cameras rolled. After about the fifth time working with the camera, he felt ready to start shooting. Two people came out of the other white van, a woman who was powdering her nose and a man who was scarfing down a yogurt before rolling. Helga guessed these two characters were the main people hosting the documentary.

For this one project there were more people involved than she would've originally thought. The area had about five white vans for this documentary of Haiti. The humane Society had hundreds or thousand of people involved. She looked toward a couple of people who had their van door open at the back. Steam was starting to drift outside the vehicle. Curiosity got the better of her as she walked toward the mysterious van.

When she was close enough to it, she peeked inside the van. The people inside appeared to be cooking, something Helga though was impossible to do in a vehicle. One woman was chopping up carrots and spinach on a cutting board while the other was test tasting the soup. The pair of women had their hair tied up into tight buns with a hair-net, something she recognized lunch ladies to wore. Underneath the large stock pot, Helga discovered how they had managed to cook in such a place. There was something resembling a hot plate plugged up from the side of the vehicle, full of power cords. Helga felt like warning the women of a fire hazard.

"Umm...What are you using to cook the soup?"

"We use a large induction plate." The woman who chopped up onions said as she poured them in the stock pot.

"Oh," Helga remembered their info-commercial. "Those kind of hot plates that are not flammable?"

"Yeah," said the other woman. "Do you want to help us?"

"Sure!" Helga stood up inside the van, rolling her dirty sleeves back. "I'd love to do what I can."

"Great!" both of the women said.

Helga washed her hands in a bucket of cold water on the floor of the vehicle. Her hair was already tied back to prevent hair from falling in the food. After cleaning her hands, the woman chopping handed her the knife as she reached below the counter. She looked toward Helga and smiled.

"My name is Laura," she introduced herself. "And this is Becca."

Helga nodded to them politely.

"So what brings you out here?" asked Becca, trying to start a conversation. She usually saw the same people when journeying to help people for the society, and she was curious how she ended up here.

"Well about a week ago, Arnold persuaded me to join him here since I left my job." Helga said.

"Where did you work before?" Laura asked curiously. Whatever she was doing, it seemed that Helga didn't like working there. Most people would continue working at a job they disliked, because it would result in money. Having a little income was better than unemployment.

"I worked as an editor for the newspaper in Brooklyn." Helga said as she suddenly stopped chopping. She sighed, and said, "It didn't work out."

Becca and Laura eyed each other. They had been friends for years and could communicate without words at this point. It seemed the job was less than satisfactory for Helga. They both understood all to well. Becca stood up and walked toward Helga, she put a hand on her shoulder and said, "I worked about six different jobs before I arrived here."

Her first years had been rough since she didn't even attend culinary school. It was years until she knew about this kind of work. Helping people who were starving brought back much achievement into her life again. She hadn't felt proud of what she did since her high school years. She smiled at Helga, "Maybe you came to the right place."

Helga smiled back at her. "Thank you." she said as Becca went back to what she as doing.

Helga went back to chopping cabbage, paying attention to every move she made with the blade of the knife. It would make her ecstatic to work alongside Arnold everyday. Before she knew it , she was humming to herself. Laura and Becca glanced at her, smiling, while Becca handed Laura a ladle. Helga turned around toward the large stockpot and used her knife to put the cabbage in the stew. Laura stirred the stew for a few minutes until Becca brought out plastic bowls. As she was unwrapping the bowls in the container, Helga helped Laura ladle out the serving of stew in each bowl. The few crew members standing around gathered the bowls, after Arnold had called a break.

The first multiple bowls went to the surrounding families. They stood on the sidelines,begging, and Helga felt a pang in her heart at seeing several children ho were suffering from anorexia. The majority of the crew member smiled at these starving people, but Helga was still fighting back the tears. Finally, the larger family that had been filmed received their bowl. The six kids smiled so brightly as the bowls had reached their grasping hands. While Helga watched them she wondered if she had ever smiled so wide. As she waved and smiled back at them she tried imitating their smiles.

For what seemed like quite a while, Helga walked back towards Arnold. He was trying to holding laughter as he sipped coffee. He looked so happy doing his job here, which in tun, made Helga happy. He was so handsome every time she looked at him, and she thanked God that he had chosen to be with her. Arnold's green orbs drifted toward her joining him again for the third or fourth time that morning. He had been with her almost all of yesterday, but he couldn't help but feel excited from the mere sight of her. He smiled at her, and she smiled back, her eyes almost sparkling.

Although she felt like wrapping her arms around him, she stood a foot away from him. She thought she shouldn't show such affection in such a place as this. A few wandering eyes were already looking at the two.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" Arnold asked her.

"Oh, its amazing..." She sighed in happiness. "They even let me help cook the stew."

Arnold nodded as he saw that she was standing over there.

Helga went back to eyeing the family of seven, the children were playing some game with each other. She hadn't stopped smiling for the past hour, or so it seemed. Being here making these families happy was worth the long trip the previous day. She wanted to do this more often in her life.

"I'll be right back, Arnold." Helga said as she sprinted back to Becca and Laura.

Becca and Laura were already starting to clean up the mess inside the van where they had all been cooking. Laura was cleaning the cutting board with a sponge when she noticed Helga coming towards them. She looked towards Becca as she was putting the large induction plate back in its original place. Helga's hair had been falling down from her ponytail as she sprinted towards them, she brushed her hair behind her left ear when she reached them. She looked up at the ladies inside the van. preparing to ask them an important question.

"So, who do I ask to join you guys in this line o work?" Helga asked.

Becca and Laura knowingly smiled at each other, before answering her. "Don't worry we will put in a good word for you with the one in charge."

Helga blinked in amazement. That was surprisingly easier than she thought. "Wow," she said. "Thank you."

"You helped more than you think." Laura said with a smile.

"And we like you." Becca said laughing a little. "It's a harder find."

Helga felt so over joyed she could burst. "Thank you, really."

Becca nodded and said, "You can go to Arnold, already." She said shooing her off with a light hand playfully.

Helga left them with a laugh as she walked back to Arnold, who had his eye on her the entire time. He downed the rest of his coffee, and crinkled the paper cup in his fist.

"What was that about?" Arnold asked with a knowing smile.

She punched his arm. "Geez, football head, you are so dense." She said with a small laugh. She loved being sarcastic with him these days.

He rubbed his shoulder for a moment. "You are a natural." he said to her lovingly. He watched as her cheeks turned a rosy color for a moment until she punched him in the arm once again. She giggled, which he rarely heard. He smiled, hardly feeling the pain in his arm, by looking at her pretty face.

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 **A/N: It took me forever to write this last chapter due to being busy with classes. I enjoy thinking and/or seeing the empathetic Helga, and writing this chapter was fun to think about. Share your thoughts HA fans! Please, please, please review!**

 **\- Animated Britney**


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